N25bn employment fund will be fairly distributed – Ambode

Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has assured Lagosians that the N25bn Employment Trust Fund recently established by the state will be distributed through a credible and transparent process.

Dickson: We Can No Longer Fund Niger Delta Varsity

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Seriake Dickson, on Thursday disclosed that the state government could no longer continue funding the state-owned Niger Delta University in Wilberforce Island, Amassoma.

Dickson, who spoke during a meeting with the Governing Council and principal officers of NDU

NNPC says it lost N19.43bn in April

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) lost N19.43bn in the month of April, as the country’s crude oil production dropped from 59.27 million barrels recorded in February to 57.43 million barrels in March, .

Nigerien presidential election: Voting commences in Kano, Sokoto

Accreditation of voters and voting in Sunday’s Niger Republic Presidential election are going on peacefully in Kano centre, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
A correspondent monitoring the election reports that the simultaneous processes commenced around 8 a.m. with large turn-out of voters at the Niger Republic Consulate office, venue of the election.
Security was also very tight as both the Nigeria policemen and security operatives from Niger Republic were seen keeping vigil at the venue.

No special for 2016 jamb utme Says JAMB

Lagos – The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Sunday, said it would not create any special centre for the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The UTME, which will be Computer Base Test (CBT) mode all through, is expected to begin on Monday, Feb. 29. In a statement by Head, Media and Information of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the attention of the board was drawn to protests by some alleged prospective candidates in Edo and Lagos states over the closure of the board’s registration portal in preparation to the UTME

NNAMDI KANU|Niger Delta Militant Groups Declare War on FG

Two militant groups in the Niger Delta region have declared their intent to confront the Federal government for its refusal to release the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Director, Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
The groups, Concerned Militant Leaders (CML) and Niger Delta People’s Democratic Front (NDPDF) made the declaration yesterday in separate statements in port Harcourt, Rivers State, following reports that there were plans by the Federal Government, to use witnesses in mask, to testify against the leader of IPOB,

BREAKING: Court remands PDP spokesperson, Metuh in prison

A Federal High Court, Abuja on Friday ordered that the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, be remanded in prison till Tuesday which is the scheduled day for the hearing of his bail application with respect to the charges of money laundering preferred against him. Justice Okon Abang gave the order after the PDP spokesperson pleaded not guilty to the seven counts of money laundering involving N400m, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that he collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser in November 2014. The money was allegedly part of the funds meant for the procurement of arms, but which was released to him for campaign activities of the PDP by the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), who is also facing other charges bordering on the diversion of arms funds. Earlier on Friday, Justice Abang rejected the request by defence counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), to make the application for Metuh’s bail orally. The judge ruled that the EFCC counsel, Mr. Sylvester Tahir, having opposed the oral application and the fact that evidence that needed to be adduced for and against the bail application could not be led from the bar (by lawyers), it was necessary to direct the defence to make the application formal. Tahir also opposed the request by the defence that Metuh be remanded in EFCC custody. The judge upheld the objection and directed that the accused be remanded in prison. The judge directed the defence to file and serve the bail application within six hours from the time of delivering the ruling and also directed EFCC if it wishes, to file and serve its objection to it within 24 hours. He ruled that the defence was at liberty to file a further response to EFCC’s objection to the bail application within five hours if it intended to. The judge also directed that the trial will commence on January 25 and would proceed on day to day. Earlier, Metuh who was arraigned along with his firm, Destra Investments Limited, pleaded not guilty to the seven counts. The EFCC alleged in the laundering case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016, that Metuh and Destra through their account with Diamond Bank Plc collected the sum of N400m from the NSA office on November 22, 2015, for PDP’s campaign activities. The prosecution alleged that the N400m was “part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity” of the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). In the fresh charges, Metuh and Destra allegedly transferred the sum of N21.8m to Anenih and they (Metuh and Destra) thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act. The EFCC alleged in the last and seventh count that out of the N400m collected from the NSA office, Metuh transferred the sum of N21,776,000 to Anenih on December 4, 2014. In counts five and six, Metuh and the company on December 2, 2014 allegedly made separate cash payments of $1m each to Kabiru Ibrahim and Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investments. Both cash payments of the total sum of $2m were said to have been made through an agent of the accused person, named, Nneka Nicole Ararume. By the cash payments, the accused were said to have committed offences contrary to section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.

Lawyer Launches Petition Against Buhari

Carol Ajie, a constitutional lawyer and founder of Change.org, has appealed to President Barrack Obama of the United States, over President Muhammadu Buhari’s “disobedience of court orders.” Petition President Buhari had during the conversation with Nigerian journalists accepted that the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu were being held against court orders because they could run away. Dasuki is being prosecuted in connection to a supposed misapplication of $2.1 billion meant for purchase of arms to fight the deadly Boko Haram insurgency. Kanu, who lives in the UK together with other pro- Biafrans call for the independence of territories that constituted the Biafran Republic, established in 1967. So far, the petition has collected 743 signatures out of its 1,000 person target. The petition reads in part: “On May 29th 2015, a former Military Dictator, Muhammadu Buhari, sequel to a contested election in March 2015 against a sitting President in Nigeria, the first time in Africa, an incumbent handed power peaceably, smoothly, heroically to a political rival. “Whereupon Mr Buhari then took the Oath of Allegiance to protect the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and the President’s Oath of office to discharge his duties faithfully, in accordance with the Constitution and the Laws of Nigeria. “Within President Buhari’s first year in office, too soon after he took the revered Oaths, he and state agents acting under his supervision, now demonstrate total lack of respect for Court Orders and at his maiden media chat on Wednesday 30th Dec., instant, Mr President made puerile attempts to justify these breaches, he said inter alia that some persons his regime locked up in cells dehumanized against court orders, Nnamdi Kanu had travelled without his passports. “But under the Immigration Act, the President or the Minister may deport anyone who travels without a valid travel document or detain for a period not exceeding 7 days. In holding Mr. Kanu beyond the required period they have infracted on the Immigration Act, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and subsisting court orders.” “With regard to issues of “self determination”, the crux of Nnamdi Kanu’s campaign of the Independent People of Biafra, IPOB, having communicated IPOB’s intent to all and the United Nations as required by UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ratified by Nigeria, that people of any community or group may wish to exercise the right of self-determination with a view to pursuing their economic, social and cultural development; aware that their dignity as human persons had deteriorated and been consciously degraded under the present dispensation, sadly appearing power inebriate.” The lawyer asked Buhari to resign as President if he is not ready to obey court orders or risk being impeached from office. However, the presidency denied to comment on the petition. An official said it would be improper for the presidency to honour such a petition with an answer.

Crime: Lagos To Install 10,000 CCTV Cameras

As part of measures to ensure that the state is well secured from activities of criminals, Lagos State Government on Monday said it has concluded plans to install 10,000 Close Circuit Television (CCTV) across the state. The Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Akinyemi Ashade who disclosed this while giving a breakdown of the 2016 budget, tagged ,’The Peoples Budget’, said the government will also activate the 1000 existing CCTV in the state. He said, “We will be expanding our ICT Infrastructure statewide. Consequently, a budget of N9.6billion has been approved for this purpose in Y2016. This will include, Smart City project targeted at deploying technology to enhance security in the state. It will also aid our revenue generating efforts. “We will be increasing coverage of CCTV installations in the state. Our goal is to have over 10,000 active cameras, connected by Broadband. The existing 1000 CCTV cameras will be reactivated and these will be increased by additional 3,000 cameras after the completion of the first phase of this project.”

Boko Haram plans to use beggars for attacks in Nigeria

The Nigerian Army has alerted residents of restive northeast Borno State on a planned attack by Boko Haram terrorists using beggars and other strategies. Spokesperson for the military special operation against insurgency, Colonel Mustapha Anka, made this known in a statement reaching Xinhua in Maiduguri, the state capital. Under the plan, concealed explosives in bundles of firewood are to be placed in crowded and strategic areas of Maiduguri and environs to cause havoc, Colonel Anka said. According to him, the terrorists had also devised a new means of attracting the public by shouting Boko Haram to create panic. He said the general public should be wary of a terrorist plan to deceive the public by way of shouting Boko Haram to create panic in order to lure unsuspecting public for maximum casualty while detonating their bombs during and after the new year celebrations. Col Anka reminded the public to be extra vigilant during and after the new year celebrations as the ban on knockout and fireworks is still in force. The state government had announced total restriction on vehicular movement during the new year celebrations. Boko Haram, a militant group, which has since 2009 waged a campaign of violence in Nigeria in an effort to establish an Islamic state, is suspected to be responsible for these series of blasts. It has killed some 13,000 people and kidnapped hundreds, with surrounding countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon affected.

Jimmy Jatt Blasts Headies Over Controversial 'Next Rated' Award

Nigeria’s foremost disk jokey, Jimmy Jatt has reacted to the Headies 2015 awards which has generated a lot of controversies on the social media. The respected DJ, in an open letter, revealed that the Headies award is not one to be rated high as it breeds bad blood among music artistes and relegates a few others who do not get to win any award. His letter is coming on the heels of the spat between Olamide, the YBNL boss and his Mavin records counterpart, Don Jazzy, over who is the actual winner of the coveted ‘next rated’ award. Dj Jimmy Jatt takes a swipe at the organisers of Headies awards. Mavin’s Reekado Banks had been adjudged the winner during the presentation, a development which did not go down well with Olamide, as he insisted that his boy, Lil Kesh deserved the award more. According to the ‘Eyan Mayweather’ crooner, Lil Kesh’s three singles were all hits back-to-back and is a better candidate than Reekado, who Olamide says has not released any hot track since he began his career. Read his open letter as obtained by Green News: When i wrote my first open letter to Headies on December 29, 2013, the majority opinions i got was that i was correct while others felt i was just an “Attention seeker”. Headies as an award should be credibile and not just over hyped. We have hundreds of award shows every year in Nigeria and they are not as controversial as this one. Headies as an award are still not appreciating certain artiste, producers, entertainers and Dj’s who work 24/7 to make sure they bring out the best. They give us the impression that once you are not nominated or you do not win, you have not started your career;This is a BIG LIE. Over the years, All Ayo Animashaun and HipTv family have proven that it is Money over Integrity and that is why he always ignores the choices of majority of Nigerians or could it be that they innocently don’t even know what they are doing? I am not here to analyse the faults of headies in full but you can read the other complains on twitter with the hashtag #TheHeadies2015. Firstly, I noticed your hall was half empty. Your live broadcast that you always brag about had the picture quality of NTA channel 10 and your technical crew were going offline every time things became awkward and they immediately have to switch to “lyrics on the go” to cover up your shame. I watched BET African awards live and Mtv and i can see a very huge difference in all aspects. You still have a lot to learn. Another disturbing fact is that headies as an award is creating bad blood among colleagues in the Nigerian music scene. Headies is the reason why we have not seen collaborations among certain musicians. Tell me why Phyno,Davido, Falz, Solidstar and many other music producers and artiste who have been topping charts this year where not recognized? Next Rated Now Of all the categories, this is the only one worth arguing over.Even though this is not a voting category, I stand by million of Nigerians to say that Lil Kesh or Kiss daniel deserve the award. What are the reasons? Lil Kesh has more hit tracks, Swag, Stage performance, Composure and in the long run Lil Kesh may last longer for years to come. Infact, i will rather invest N10m on Lil kesh career than Reekado’s. That is not to say Reekado is not hardworking or he does not have the talent but lil kesh has that special something. Infact Reekado still does not have any Hit track to date. Yes !!!!! I say that with all sense of authority. Songs like Corner, Sugar baby, Catapult are NOT hit tracks, they are just popular and they could have gone National but they are NOT hit tracks. Dont confuse a popular song with a Hit track. Let me explain, As a DJ if i dont play “Gbese” “Efejoku” “Shoki” “Reggae Blues” “Woju” “Laye” “Godwin” at any party, i will have loads of people coming to request for them but people dont disturb me if i do not play Reekado banks songs. Do you get the point? In fact another proof Reekado still does not own a hit track is that an average Nigerian parent who do not follow music still know songs like “Woju” “Bobo”, “Ojuelegba” and “Efejoku”. While i was writing this, i played reekado’s songs to the older generation and they claimed never to have heard them. YBNL VS MAVIN This was actually the most interesting part of the show for those who stayed awake to attend or watch the show. Now the beef is official and it is part of the bad blood that headies have caused. Olamide was not referring to anybody in particular during Adekunle Gold’s acceptance speech but Don Jazzy had to mention Olamide’s name and the beef became real on twitter with Olamide referring to the Don as a “Bastard”. Don jazzy should NOT have mentioned Olamide’s name in the first place and saying “he should come and collect the car if he wants”. Now people are taking sides and everyone saw when Olamide threw the microphone away and his beloved “red cup’ he poses with in almost all his music videos. In my own view, It shows how unruly and empty he is intellectually. Olamide wants to be a Kanye west so bad and he feels he can do anything and go scott free. This was the same guy who cursed Linda Ikeji for reporting a story about his “love child” and claimed it was a rumour till we confirmed it was actually true. Baba Miliano (Olamide) your alter ego Kanye west started becoming responsible when he gave birth, when will you stop sounding like a thug in your songs and be a role model for those who are watching you? You refer to yourself as a Rapper but i say it to your face that you are now a bloody singer so shut up. I wonder why you where not nominated in the R&B category since you are now a professional singer. Back to the Mavins, If we look at this from another angle, Reekado needs the car more than Lil kesh since Olamide already bought Kesh a black Range Rover sport around March, 2015. Instead of Jazzy to buy his “children’ (as he refers to his label mates) a car, he will be giving out free recharge card on twitter to buy peoples heart. At least Reekado, Korede and Di’ja will stop going around lagos with Cabs. It should be noted that Davido is also a major cause of this, he tweeted it some months back that Lil Kesh should pull a “Kanye” on Headies if he does not win. Kesh was probably too timid so his oga OluwaKanye Olamide did the dirty job and refered to that as “Fighting for the poor boy” In conclusion All Nigerian artiste and producers, do not place your hope on the Headies which should now be referred to as “The Leggings”. Do not say because you where not recognized it means you are not trying, keep doing what you are doing and let the headies keep on doing what they are known for – NONSENSE.. !!! Do not forget to send your insults and blessing to the writer @Baddestdjtimmy and tell me exactly how you feel. I also need someone to clear this please, Don Jazzy said ” The organizers told him to call Reekado to come…So he left Alibaba’s show” Does that mean he knew Reeky was going to win that category? Cynthia Morgan was absent and i am sure the organisers did not tell Jude Okoye to tell Cynthia Morgan to rush down there. You be the judge !!!!!

Mixed reactions trail FG’s decision to avoid plea-bargain with treasury looters

Lawyers in the FCT on Sunday expressed mixed feelings over the Federal Government’s decision not to consider plea-bargain being contemplated by treasury looters and their cronies. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mallam Abubakar Malami, had declared that the Federal Government was more interested in recovering to the last kobo, all public funds stolen and stashed away by top politicians and their cronies under the guise of arms purchase. The government said that such plea bargain only allowed looters to go away with stolen public assets. Speaking with NAN in Abuja, a lawyer, Mr Silas Onu, said that government’s stand was in order because plea-bargain was unconstitutional. “Plea-bargain is not in Nigerian laws and so the refusal of the government to subscribe to it is not misplaced; government is only strictly following the laws. “If you remember, the former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, spoke about the illegality of plea-bargain. “EFCC just invented a legal proceeding that is not known to our laws; and the way we even apply it in Nigeria is not as it should be. “Plea-bargain has been used in Nigeria as pardon for criminality; but plea-bargain shouldn’t be like that. “It should be as is operated in America, where it should only earn you a reduction in punishment; it shouldn’t set you free,’’ Onu said. Mrs Uche Asiobi, another lawyer, who holds a different opinion, stated that plea-bargain should be considered if it will be to the benefit of the members of the public. “I think sometimes you have to lose something to win something. “I agree that it is hard, particularly when you are thinking of the economy and what has happened. “You will think that these people should pay the full penalty, but if you take that angle, you might not get the full justice you require. “So, if you realise that you will gain more through plea-bargain, it is better to apply it and recover more funds. “Remember that even with plea-bargain the reputation of these people is already tarnished. “So, plea-bargain should be used if the generality of the public will benefit from it instead of just one individual pocketing the loot,’’ Asiobi said. Another lawyer, Ms Grace Ehusani, thinks that though the Federal Government would prefer to uphold justice, applying plea-bargain would encourage more treasury looters to confess. “When you provide an opportunity for people to confess and admit to their crimes knowing that because they confessed, the punishment will be lighter, they will be more willing to come to an agreement with the government,’’ she said. NAN reports that the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and several others are currently being investigated and are facing prosecution over alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms. (NAN)

Jesus Christ was killed according to the biblical narration. How did his mother take it? She left things to God. Prophets of God were killed in the past. All the children of Prophet Mohammed were killed. They referred everything to divine justice. We have overcome it. We have left everything to God By Ben Agande For Dr Waziri Isa Gwantu, December 13, 2015 will ever remain a dark day for the remaining days of his life. That was the day he lost four of his children— three boys and a girl; all university undergraduates during the tragic encounter between members of the Nigerian Army and the Shiites Islamic sect in Zaria. According to Nigerian security sources, while on his way to pay a courtesy visit to the Emir of Zaria, the convoy of the Chief of Army staff ran into a road block mounted by members of the Shiite sect along Sokoto road. All entreaties made to members of the sect to allow the army chief pass fell on deaf ears. One thing led to the other and at the end of the encounter, over many members of the sect were reportedly killed. The army claimed that they were first attacked by members of the sect, a claim disputed by the sect who alleged that the act was premeditated by government to decimate members of the sect in the country. The kaduna state government has since set up a committee to investigate the matter. But for Dr Waziri, no matter the outcome of the panel set up by government, the ultimate verdict on what happened and who is culpable would be determined by God on the day of judgment. When Saturday Vanguard traced him to Zaria and eventually Nassarawa state when he had gone after the ugly incidence, we found a man who was utterly devastated by the loss of four children in one fell swoop. At a point during the interview, he almost gave in to his emotions but found solace in his religion which preaches that nothing can happen to any man except it is sanctioned by God. Narrating the events that led to the black Saturday, Dr Waziri said there was no premonition that something ominous was lurking in the corner when he drove his children to the Shiite headquarters along Sokoto road to perform the Malud ceremony on the First day of the month of the birth of prophet Muhammad. According to him, “it was the first day of the month which our prophet, Mohammed was born so we usually organize Maulud Programme on the first day of the month. On that very day, I took my children in my car to the venue Of the Programme. But on getting to a certain point, I heard gun shots and the roads were blocked. I asked and was told that there was a misunderstanding between the military and the Shiites. I wasn’t surprised hearing this because six months before then, our sheikh had informed us that he got security reports that the military was trying to perfect a scenario where they would tell the world that the military was attacked by the Shiites and then use that as an excuse to descend on every member of the movement. Bearing that in mind, I decided to take the children to the Sheikh’s house thinking that would be a safe place to stay until the crisis subsided after which we would then go back for the Programme. I dropped them and went back to the house at about 5pm leaving an instruction that when the Sheikh is ready for the Programme, they should call me”. But when the call eventually came from one of his sons at about 10pm, it was not to report that the sheikh, (El Zakzaky) was ready for the programme but that one of his sons had been shot by the army at the residence of the leader of the Shiite in Nigeria. The first instinct as a father was to rush to where his son was shot but he was told by the son that all the roads leading to the sheikh’s residence had been blocked by the army. While still weighing his options, another of his son called to informed him that the army were pointing their guns at him. “One hour later, he called me to say he had been shot in the leg. I could hear gun shots in the back ground. At about 1 am, l got another call but this time from my daughter to inform me that she was shot on her belly. She was crying and I couldn’t go to help them because the roads leading to the residence was blocked. “On the following day, my eldest son called to tell me that there were corpses everywhere and he was among the few surviving souls in the place. I encouraged him to keep praying and as we were talking, he informed me that they were approaching him with guns and that he isn’t sure his father will get to speak with him again . Shortly after, the line went off. He was also killed. “The one that first called me on Saturday night told me that he was dying because of the loss of so much blood. I was devastated because I could not go to help them. I called Reverend Father Matthew Kukah to appeal to government to stop the killing in Zaria. I also called Reverend Hayap in Kaduna and reported to him what was going on” he lamented. Reacting to the allegations that the Shiites provoked the military by first attacking them which drew the ire of the military, Dr Waziri said the allegation was meant to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. According to him,the Shiites do not believe in violence as it is against the dictate of Islam. He wondered why people who accused the Shiites of keeping weapons were not able to produce one single victim among the security forces that were said to have been attacked. “We don’t believe in weapons. We don’t believe in killing. We are not ISIS or Boko Haram who call themselves Sunnis” he fumed. He said what was most painful was the fact that as the only graduate in his family, he believed that he would train his children to become useful citizens that would contribute to the development of the country. He did not only lose them but he also did not have the dignity of praying for and giving them a befitting burial as they were all allegedly burnt and given mass burial by the army. “What is even more painful is that after killing these children, they denied us access to their corpses so that we could pray for them and bury them appropriately. They were buried in mass graves. What offense have we committed to deserve this kind of oppression? Even Boko Haram that are known to be the worst killers in the world are not treated this way” he cried. Though devastated by the death of his four children, Dr Waziri said he and his wife have taken solace in the fact that even prophets were killed for what they believed in. “Jesus Christ was killed according to the biblical narration. How did his mother take it? She left things to God. Prophets of God were killed in the past. All the children of Prophet Mohammed were killed. They referred everything to divine justice. We have overcome it. We have left everything to God” And for the government and the security services, Dr Waziri have a defiant message for them: “I have fourteen children so the government still has ten more to kill. If they think that killing will kill an ideology, they are in for surprise” he said.

Music: 1.More.Life -Thank God For Life [Prod by Mackprobeatz]

Edo born rapper 1.More.Life whose real
name is Ohimai Imohiosen is back again
with another hit single titled Thank God

Former Bayelsa Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Is Dead

Chief Alamieyeseigha reportedly died of cardiac arrest at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, after slipping into coma two days ago and was placed on life support. The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Esueme Dan-Kikili, who confirmed the death to Channels Television, said that the death of the former governor was a great loss to the Ijaw ethnic group. There were reports during the week that the British Government was determined to resurrect an outstanding case of money laundering against the former governor and had requested for his extradition to London. Alamieyeseigha, who was facing money laundering charges, jumped bail and returned to Nigeria and has since then refused to answer summons for trial to continue. According to his Wikipedia page, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born on November 16, 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa State and had his secondary school education at the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa. He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, and was enlisted in the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply. Before retiring from the Air Force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader, he had served in Enugu, Markurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja. He became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt and later Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON). Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was Governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria from May 29, 1999 to December 9, 2005. He was impeached on allegations of corruption.

Flood: Lagos State Information Ministry urges residents to relocate to safe areas

Mr Oluwatoyin Awosika, the Director, Public Enlightenment, Lagos State Ministry of Information, on Friday urged residents living on flood-prone areas to relocate to safe locations. Awosika told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the ministry had commenced sensitisation of the affected residents to change their attitudes in order to avert flood disasters. He said that the state spent huge resources to make refuse collection cheap and affordable, adding that measures were already in place to relocate residents in case of flood disaster. Cue in audio “People would tell you all sorts of things, the water is flowing, they dump everything there but it is going to block somewhere so what happens, the water will fight back into homes. “At night they cross the roads to dump refuse into the drains and on the highways. “Government is always very careful. “If you force people out now they would tell you where do you want to relocate them to. “Government doesn’t have the house to relocate, if there is a flood disaster, we would move them to the Imota and the Egbeda resettlement areas. “So, you can’t say you are going to push them there until the rain leaves, so the best is to advice (them) to evacuate. “It is not easy sincerely, where are they going, are they going to rent new apartments and then come back when the rains have stopped? “So government is to continue to sensitise you to the dangers. “Why we are telling you to relocate is that if a serious flood comes you are now giving the excuses of money and this, lives would go. “You cannot buy the lives, your property gone, you cannot replace most of them, so it is better you try to relocate. “Our own is to continue to hit the mindset, attitudinal mindset that is all we continue to do. “People change; we keep showing the documentaries for people see how the drains are blocked. “What happens, how they deflood, hit the road, spoil houses, everything.“ Cue out audio NAN reports that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had predicted heavy rains and possible flooding in 2015, and advised people living on flood plains to relocate to safe areas

Saraki suggests action on non-compliant power firms

President, Bukola Saraki, has advocated sanctions against electricity distribution companies (DIDCOS) who fail to live up to the terms of agreements with the Federal Government. Saraki made the call when the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sam Amadi, led other members of the Commission on a courtesy visit to the Senate President in Abuja. He said the National Assembly was eager to see Nigerians enjoy power supply and at the cheapest possible cost. The Senate president said the Senate would ensure that all acts of impunity by DISCOS were eradicated. “More importantly, from our own point of view is that how do we ensure that majority of the owners of the DISCOS keep to some of the agreements or the commitments they made at the time of purchase. Some of them by the time they were buying these assets have committed to certain investments that were going to be done,” Saraki said. Also read: NUPENG blasts power Discos for poor supplies He said the National Assembly and NERC were committed to ensure consumers got value for their money. “You are those that work directly with them (DISCOs) and it is important you bring to our attention what is necessary to ensure that at the end of the day the consumers, the Nigerian people get the best benefit. The aim at the end of the day is to ensure that every Nigerian get the power and they get it at the cheapest possible cost and those who are responsible for running these units keep to the agreement,” Saraki said. Amadi said the commission was doing all it could to eliminate fixed electricity charges. He also added that one of the factors militating against increased power supply was the weak infrastructure in the country. “We have mandated Discos to find a way to restructure the fixed charge in a way that they also receive their revenue but in a manner that does not unfairly inconvenience or exploit the consumers. Our commitment is to try as much as possible to ensure that any form of pricing is fair to consumers and such that to help us to sustain the improvement in the sector,” Amadi said. - CAJ News

Man arrested with fraudulent cheques at Lagos airport

- A man has been arrested at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos after found in possession of more than 400 travellers cheques. Operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested the suspect, Jonathan Odu Isikwei (51), during the outward clearance of passengers on a Belgium- bound flight. The 448 travellers’ Cheques recovered from Isikwei were discovered to purportedly belong to four banks in America, Europe and Canada. The Banks and the traveller’s Cheques are: Gun Nebo Inc. (Bank of Nova Scotia)-117 pieces, Postbank Frankfurt -258 pieces, Safe Federal Credit Union -41 pieces and RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) -32 pieces. Also read: Kano businessman jailed for issuing dud cheque All the travellers’ cheques were signed, with some having monetary value written on them. Among the Cheques belonging to Safe Federal Credit Union, 27 pieces were blank while 14 pieces of the Cheques have monetary value worth US$322 800. Twenty Seven pieces of the travellers’ cheques belonging to Gun Nebo Canada Inc. were blank while 90 pieces of the cheques have monetary value worth 354 300 Canadian Dollars. The suspect, who claims he exports dried fish from Nigeria to Belgium, told investigators that he collected the parcel for onward delivery to a friend without any knowledge of the content. The case has been transferred to the EFCC for further investigation. - CAJ News

Ministerial list: DSS begins screening as Buhari set to drop nominees with fake records

The Department of State Security Services (DSS) on Friday invited all the 21 candidates named by President Muhammadu Buhari for security checks. The verification includes scrutiny of educational certificates, checks for any past prosecution, among others. Also, Nigeria Police Force might subject the nominees to another documentation process, The Nation reports. After the ongoing checks, a security report may be submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Senate by the DSS on the suitability of the nominees. At the DSS office yesterday were Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Suleiman Adamu, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Amina Mohammed, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Musa Ibeto, among others. All the nominees were asked to fill Personal Identification Form (PIF) which requires data about their places of birth, schools attended, work experience and past offices held. “The details provided will lead to further investigation by the DSS to confirm the veracity or otherwise of what they have filled in the PIF,” a source told The Nation. “The security agencies are paying attention to the educational certificates of most of the nominees to avoid a situation where some Nigerians will join issues with these candidates. “The essence of inviting these nominees is to certify that what they have pleaded is what they have. You will recall that some past leaders of the National Assembly tampered with their age and a few others presented fake certificates. The era of bloated Curriculum Vitae is gone. We do not want any nominee to embarrass the President in the Senate. “We have had instances in the past where ministers could not even locate their certificates or past records of service.” “Any nominee with any challenge capable of creating image crisis for the government or unfit to be a minister may be dropped.”

Police arrest Nigerians, locals in fraud case

The Jakarta Police said Friday that they had apprehended three Nigerian citizens who were suspected of being involved in a fraud case. The police’s special crime unit director Sr. Comr. Mujiono said the three Nigerians were arrested in South Tangerang, Banten, and Jakarta recently. According to Mujiono, the police also detained two Indonesians who had allegedly collaborated with the foreign citizens, and added that police officers were currently searching for another two suspects; one Nigerian and one Indonesian. Mujiono said that the perpetrators had used various methods to delude their victims. One of the perpetrator’s methods involved contacting victims via Facebook and pretending to be a member of the British army whose service in Kabul, Afghanistan, had almost ended. He informed the victim that he wanted to bring money totaling US$200 million home with him, but was facing difficulties doing so. He then asked the victim to receive the money in Indonesia, which would be sent through a so- called “diplomatic agency” in Indonesia. After making an agreement on Facebook, another Indonesian perpetrator then called the victim posing as an airport officer. The perpetrator told the victim that he could not pass immigration unless the victim paid a sum of money for the security check and other permit documents. “The perpetrator requested the victim pay Rp 655 million (US$48,431),” Mujiono said. Mujiono said the perpetrators were being charged under article 378 of the criminal code with a maximum 20 years behind bars and a Rp 10 million fine. They will also be also charged under article 28 of the information and technology law with a maximum six years behind bars and a Rp 1 billion fine.